A Lifetime of Thieving
by Sky2high101
Summary: Jack finally returns to Riften after ten years. Now much stronger than when she left and ready to get the guild back on its feet as well as face the trauma from her past that being back with her friends brings on. Somewhat follows canon plot, but also changes a few things. Not sure how long this story will be but i have ideas for a long story if people seem interested.
1. Chapter 1

"Whew!" Jack laughed, bending down to catch her breath, "that was fun."

"Fun she says…" Ralof muttered, "Wait! Get down!"

Ducking behind a rock the two of them looked up just in time to see the dragon fly over head. Now that she was no longer afraid for her life, Jack tried to get a better look at him. He was an ominous figure, with massive wings stretching across the sun, light reflecting off his ebony wings, as he flew out of sight.

"There he goes," Ralof said standing up, "Looks like he's gone for good this time."

Standing with him Jack watched as the dragon became a speck on the horizon and then disappeared. Amazing how something so beautiful can be so terrifying.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present she realized Ralof had been saying something. "—swarming with imperials soon enough. We'd better clear out of here."

Assuming she'd caught the important part of what he was saying, Jack followed after Ralof as he continued.

"It's probably best if we split up, Good luck. I wouldn't have made it without your help today. My sister Gerdur runs the mill in Riverwood, just up the road. I'm sure she'd help you out."

Smiling gratefully back at him Jack nodded, "Good luck to you too; we both helped each other out of that mess."

"You know," Ralof paused, "You should go to Windhelm and join the fight to free Skyrim. You've seen the true face of the empire here today. If anyone will know what the coming of the dragons mean, it's Ulfric."

"Hnn," pausing as they came to a fork in the path, Jack faced Ralof, "I don't know if I'm really the person the stormcloaks would want to be fighting a war for Skyrim, but if you ever need to call in a favor let me know."

"Aye…" Ralof paused, adding one more thing, "but Skyrim is home to more than just Nords."

With a laugh of acknowledgement she jogged away raising her hand and waved farewell to Ralof. More than Nords indeed… sadly the nords disagreed fairly strongly. If there was a reason that would convince her to fight in this stupid war, it would be to fight alongside Ralof once again. He'd become a good friend in a very short amount of time and she would not be opposed to seeing him again. She was no friend to the empire or the Thalmor, but she didn't think this was the time to be fighting a war. Still, if Ralof called for aid, she would do her best to be there.

As she skirted around the edges of Riverwood she saw Ralof enter the village.

Continuing on she eventually came across a sign directing her towards Whiterun. Following the river away from the city she looked on at the proud walls surrounding a peaceful looking city with Dragonsreach towering above it. She liked Whiterun well enough with its homely little houses and shops but it was never particularly appealing to her. Soon enough the city was out of sight and she was well into the woods, moving around one of the many mountains of Skyrim.

Though it was chilly she had worked up a sweat from jogging and decided to slow to a walk and take in the view of the trees and mountains around her. It had been a long while since she'd be in Skyrim and she'd missed this cold barren land she called her home.  
Wrapping her large scarf around her like a cloak and pulling it over her head she shivered as the night began to creep in.

"There's no way I'll make it to Riften tonight." She muttered.

After a very long day full of imperials, dragons, and running through the cold, not to mention her time before that, traveling through Cyrodill to get back to Skyrim from Elsweyr and Valenwood, she was very tired. With a sigh she decided to stop at Ivarstead for the night to rest up before continuing her trek to Riften.

Stepping into Vilemyr Inn, Jack pulled down her hood and looked around. Noting the bard was playing a pretty wordless song on her flute; she smiled and headed for the innkeeper who was wiping down the bar. Sitting on a stool in front of him she smiled as he looked up at her.

"We don't get many visitors up here, unless they're headed up to High Hrothgar of course, what can I do for you?"

"Hmm not me! I'm headed to Riften. I'd like to rent a room for the night if you've got one." Jack said.

"Sure thing, it's yours for a day." The innkeeper lead her to her room.

As he told her to let him know if there was anything else she needed she looked around the quaint little room. It had two shabby twin beds and a table and chair. Noticing a bag of coins sitting on the table she quietly swept them up as the innkeeper turned to leave the room.

"Careless." She snorted, after he had left the room. Who just left coins around on a table you rented out to people? She supposed it may belong to the person using the other bed. Either way, she smirked, it was hers now.

She woke the next morning feeling well rested. She had a habit of sleeping very little, and it was a mark of just how tired she was that she had slept so late. She'd been planning to set out just before day break in order to make it to Riften just as all the shops were opening up. She remembered it was her favorite time in the city; everything was so exciting and active while everyone was setting up their stalls and the people were coming out to do their morning shopping.

As she finally made it to Riften she saw the familiar stables she loved. It was still early, so she supposed Hofgrir was still in his house. But she walked up to the horses and rubbed their noses, saying hello. With a start, she realized that one of them was particularly happy to see her.

"Whisp!" She cheered, "Look at you, you're so big!"

Cuddling her old friend's face between her arms she sighed contentedly, "It's so good to be home."

Straightening up, she said goodbye to the horse, and turned towards the city. She walked past the carriage man waiting to give someone a ride to one of the main holds of Skyrim and looked up at the walls surrounding her home.

As she came up to the entrance one of the guards approached her, "Halt, no one enters the city without paying the visitor's tax."

She raised an eyebrow, "visitor's tax? Please, we both know this is a shake down."

She could see the alarm in the guard's eyes as he backtracked quickly, "Alright, alright, keep your voice down!" the guard exclaimed, "I'll unlock the door."  
As he stepped aside he muttered something about her being free to enter whenever she was ready; she smiled at him and moved forward. Taking a deep breath she stepped through the gates to Riften.

The city was just as she had remembered, though a bit more run down seeming. As she walked further into the city her eyes left the buildings and fell on a man leaning against the post of one of the houses across from her; he was watching her.

Soon as they made eye contact he spoke, "I don't know you, you in Riften lookin' for trouble?"

At that, she smirked, "I suppose that depends what you'd consider trouble; but no, not really."

Narrowing his eyes he made his point clear, "just don't go meddlin' in Black-Briar affairs, Last thing they need is some troublemaker tryin' to steal a piece of the action. The Black-Briars have Riften in their pocket and the Thieves Guild watchin' their back, so keep your nose out of their business. Me? I'm Maul. I watch the streets for 'em. If you need dirt on anythin', I'm your guy... but it'll cost you."

At the mention of the Thieves Guild Jack's ears perked up. "Thieves Guild you say, you know anything about them?"

"You kiddin'? My brother Dirge works in their hideout. I used to run with them myself, but took a job with Maven after they started hittin' a rough patch. If you want to get in on that action, find Brynjolf in the marketplace. I'm sure he could use someone like you."

After questioning him more about the guild and Maven Black-Briar she thanked him and walked away.

"Be seein' you around." He called after her.

She chuckled, "more than likely." She said under her breath.

Crossing the bridge over the canal she smiled listening to the wind blow the leaves across the wooden docs. The fog was as thick as ever in the Rift and she could see the water and trees blowing gently with the wind. In the distance she could hear someone calling out about fresh meats and produce. And with a grin she moved forward, ready to see the market place she used to love. She walked past The Bee and Barb and decided to stop in to book a room and get some food.

The lighting was dim and the tables were filled with people. It was still early for drunken crowds but she could tell people were still enjoying themselves plenty. She moved towards the bar and took a seat in front of Keerava. Peeking up from under her hood she made eye contact and smiled as she watched realization dawn on the old lizard's face.

"Jack! Child it has been a long time, how have you been? WHERE have you been?" she exclaimed.

Leaning back a little and laughing Jack scratched her head, "Ten years actually, I've been exploring," she smiled, "it is good to see you again Keerava."

"And you child! Are you here for a room? Something to eat?"  
"Actually I was hoping for both." Jack chuckled.

Before she was even done talking a hot plate of cooked beef, bread, and a slice of elder cheese was placed in front of her. Looking up she grinned at the deceptively grumpy innkeeper. "Thank you!"

Placing some gold on the bar she asked, "Got any rooms available?"

Keerava chuckled and nodded, "Of course I do, it's yours for however long you need it."

Jack grinned and hopped up, giving the woman a huge awkward hug over the counter. "You know I'm going to pay, yeah? I have the money, you can't stop me."

She pranced away from the bar as Keerava mumbled something that sounded a lot like "you don't know what I can or cannot do."

Feeling happier and more excited than she had since planning her trip to Elsweyr to visit her friend J'zargo she followed Keerava up the stairs to her room. It was a small room, but it was cozy and made her feel safe. It reminded her of the times she would come to Keerava cold and hungry and close to death. The woman always gave her some food and a bed to sleep in. She was glad Keerava hadn't forgotten her in those ten years. Straightening her cloak, she pulled her hood back up and headed downstairs and out into the misty fog. She could smell the burning wood and coal from the Scorched Hammer's forge and hear the clanging of Balimund shaping a blade ringing over the stall vendors calls. She heard calls about gleaming gem stones and armor and some fabulous potion.

Walking up to one of the stalls she heard someone say something to her.

"I presume you're bothering me for a good reason?" drawled an older woman in fine clothes.

"Ah, no, sorry…" Jack stepped back a bit and turned away, confused; pretty confident old lady to just be rood in passing.

She walked up to the stall of an Argonian who'd been advertising his legendary Argonian craftsmanship. As she was listening to the Argonian, Madesi, give his pitch on a silver amethyst necklace, she heard someone come up behind her, "Never done an honest day's work in your life for all that coin you carry. Eh, lass?"

Jack froze. Turning slowly she peered around her hood and looked the red haired man up and down.

After a pause, she smiled; "Bryn…"


	2. Chapter 2

**OKAY! Soo this is my first fanfic everrrr and I wasn't sure how to go about uploading things so I didn't get a message in on the first chapter! Oops . So I'm going to post this in quick and then upload my next chapter later xDD hopefully today xP**

 **This was meant to be kind of a test. I wanted to see if people would like to see more of the story? Does it seem like something I should continue?**

 **I've been reading Skyrim fanfics recently and replaying a lot. So thanks to all you fanfic writers for inspiration CX Especially Amorissy, AshleighAishwarya, and Athos-aramis. I hope mine ends up being worthy of being in the same site as yours! Your stories and characters are what made me want to write my own ^^**

 **I decided to write this fic because I seriously hate how limited the thieves guild quest is … I want to be able to do more stuff with it! Also =_= how the guild characters all say exactly the same thing to you even after you've become guild master. SERIOUSLY?! I can't stand it x'D but it's still my favorite part of the game xP And it has all my favorite characters. And since I always play thieves in Skyrim it seemed perfect :p**

 **So I hope you guys like it! Its my first time so I don't really know what im doing and I don't exactly know what all im going to do with the story. I really just know my character :) if it does work out it will have a prequel to explain her past xD BUT ANYWAY feel free to leaves reviews and things to give me input into how to do things xP but take it easy on me ^^" really have no idea what im doing. But really please do let me know if you think I should keep writing this xP**

 **DISCLAIMER (since I didn't put it for the first chapter): I don't own anything to do with the Elder Scrolls plot, characters, or anything. Only this story and the main character is mine xp**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER (since I didn't put it for the first chapter): I don't own anything to do with the Elder Scrolls plot, characters, or anything. Only this story and Jack are mine xp**

Brynolf was setting up his stall in the Riften market when Maul walked up to him. Glancing up at the man Brynolf paused; did he actually look troubled?

Raising an eyebrow at the man he asked, "Something bothering you Maul?"

"Nah, but someone just came into town that I thought you'd wanna know about."

This caught Brynolf's attention and he straightened up to listen to what Maul had to say.

"This woman just walked into town askin' all about the thieves' guild and Maven," Maul started, "she wanted to know all about the relationship between the guild and Maven, and more specifically how the guild was doin. She even wanted to know about Riften in general and who all the local shop owners were; seemed she'd been here before."

"Been here before, eh?" Brynolf glanced around, curious, "did you see where the lass went?"

"She was headin' towards the Bee and Barb…" Maul paused, "Brynolf, she's older now so I can't be sure… but I think it was Jack."

At the mention of that name Brynolf's head jolted back to Maul. His eyes grew wide as what the man had said sunk in. Jack is back? No, he said he wasn't sure, so it might not be her. In spite of himself he began to get excited. Thanking Maul for letting him know he went back to setting up his stall as Maul walked off towards the docks. As he lined up the potions along the counter of his stall his mind strayed to thoughts of Jack. It had been a long time since he saw his childhood friend. He found himself focusing more on the growing crowds around him than on what he was doing. When one of the potions nearly fell he decided it was time to snap back into what he was doing. It may be a worthless potion but it was still worth money for him, and gods knew the guild needed the money.

If it was true that Jack was back he would have to let Delvin, Vex, and Mercer know if he didn't manage to find her before returning to the cistern. It had been so long since she left the guild, they would all be excited to see her again. He wondered how she had changed; Maul said she looked older. He smiled to himself thinking of all the trouble they'd gotten into when they were younger; before joining the thieves' guild.

It was finally time to open the stalls in the market and he began his daily calls to the wandering shoppers to try his potions and elixirs. As he watched the market place fill with shoppers he began engaging with the random people that stopped by his stall. He was doing pretty good business; having already sold a couple of potions he was off to a good start.

Over the many shoppers he saw the figure of a woman in front of Madesi's stall. Forgetting all about the people before him, he moved around his stall and wandered further for a closer look. She was wearing a large black wrap around cloak that she had pulled over her head and around her shoulders. It was impossible to see her face from this angle but he could tell the material was thick and flexible; good for both protecting against the cold and doing things like sneaking and blending with shadows. It also looked like she could drape it differently so it covered more than just her upper half and reach to her feet. Under the cloak he could see she was wearing a close fitting black shirt that would also lend itself well to sneaking. With a smile his eyes fell to her clearly thieves' guild pants; she still had her black senior armor from her days in the guild. It looked like she had modified the pants a bit to have some extra pockets to make up for not having the top armor. On her feet were the usual thieves' guild boots with buckles strapping up the side of her shins; and she wore very light black gloves that didn't stretch up her arm and were cut off at the fingers. He smirked, so she still didn't like having her arms restrained. He had a feeling she had enchanted the gloves to enhance something or she wouldn't be wearing those either.

Grinning he stepped up behind her, "Never done an honest day's work in your life for all that coin you carry. Eh, lass?"

His grin only grew larger as he saw her shoulders stiffen. Slowly she turned so that she was half facing him. He could see the profile of her outline and it took all he could to keep from looking her up and down. As she peeked around her hood he met her eyes and any remaining doubts left him.

He watched as she looked him over and smiled, "Bryn."

He felt his face light up as it finally sunk into him that she was back. "Been a long time, eh Jack?"

Turning to fully face him she grinned, "It sure has! Those words rang a bell, did you get that from someone?"

He laughed, "I learned from the best."

She beamed at him, "It's good to see you Bryn! Let's go over to Keerava's and catch up!"

They had been sitting together at a table in the Bee and Barb for the better part of the day, laughing and talking, and reminiscing. It had been so long since she'd seen Brynolf that she'd almost not recognized him with his beard. She smiled fondly at him as he talked and marveled at how he had developed. His jaw line was stronger under the beard and his shoulders were broader. She could tell his arms were nicely build beneath the fine clothes he wore and she thought she'd really like to see him wearing the form fitting armor of the thieves' guild.

"So lass, feel like coming home?" He asked her with a twinkle in his eye.

Her eyes lit up at the thought of 'home' and she nodded, "of course!"

He smirked with a hint of mischief and he chuckled, "Let's see if you've still got what it takes. Let to the Ragged Flagon in one piece and we'll talk."

Cheeky bastard… she grinned, "alright, you're on, see you later," she said winking at him as she slid away from the table.

She knew she could just use the entrance behind the temple of Mara to reach the cistern; but this would be so much more fun. Besides, Delvin and Vex stayed mainly to the Flagon if she remembered right. She was in the room Keerava had lent her gathering up her small pack when she wondered idly how many new members the guild had since she'd left. Brynolf had told her the guild had been having a run of bad luck, but she doubted that hard started right after she left, so there must be some new people that she wouldn't know. She hoped Niruin would still be there, it would be nice to catch up with her elf friend; she figured Tonilia, Viper, Thrynn, and Cynric would all be there as well. With a small skip in her step she hurried down the stairs to the lower levels of Riften and crossed the little bridge over the canal. Glancing up over her shoulder she saw that no one was around and she slipped through the metal gate to the rateway. The first thing she heard was a couple of low lives chatting with each other.

A feral grin lit up her face, this was going to be fun!

 **Sooo I have to go to bed cause I work tomorrow but im so excited about updating that I wanted to post this xD I think it's a good place to stop… im sorry about short chapters! Hopefully short chapters will always mean quick updates :3 idk how long this fic will last but it will probably depend on whether people like it and whether I like writing it xD so let me know if you like it! The more people that enjoy it the more motivated I will be to continue writing xP**

 **I hope it's exciting enough …. There is a lot of back story that I haven't touched on yet, im trying not to give anything away too soon but I hope it's not boring because of that ….**

 **Btw im also going to be changing up the timeline a weeee bit…. Gallus won't have died 25 years ago. It's more like 17. This is moooostly just to keep my characters at the age I want them? So its selfish but I don't think the age and time line really matter xD 17 years is still a long time. But on that same note, im not sure how old the different members of the guild are, but some of them (specially Brynolf) are probably younger in my story than they are in canon xP (Jack is 28 and he is probably somewhere around 28-30) Vex will be around their same age, Delvin is still older; Mercer, Gallus, and Karliah are all older but I think younger than Delvin? Idk … the only ages that matter are Jack and Bryn xD and they don't even really matter xP It's honestly just that I don't think I can write people that are too much older than me xP In the 20s I think we all probably still think alike xP but as you get older you get more mature and I'm not prepared for that! So anywayyy if you come across any math problems or thinks that don't seem to line up, either ask me about it and I'll have an answer, or ill find a way to answer it 8D orrrr we will just ignore it because this is fiction ^^'**

 **Once again please do review to let me know if I should keep going. It's been so exciting watching the views go up but I don't know if anyone has actually read it o.o I really want to know what you think! So let me know, kay? ^^**


	4. Welcome Back to the Thieves Guild

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with the Elder Scrolls plot, characters, or anything. Only this story and Jack are mine xp and any future characters I create…..**

 **So I'm going to play around with the magic system a little. Just give it a bit more freedom than it has in the game. Also summoning daggers is a thing. I demand it so xP**

As she crept closer to the two at the bottom of the tunnel her nerves began to spike. She could feel adrenaline rushing through her veins as she watched one of them come into view. His back was to her and she silently prepared a fury spell. Giggling inwardly she released it at the unsuspecting lowlife and stepped into an alcove to avoid being seen. Listening as the two fought each other she summoned a bound dagger and waited. Soon she heard the last gurgling sounds of death from one of the two men and waited for the other to come around the corner looking for her. Just as he ran past the alcove she waited in she slipped behind him and slit his throat. As he fell to the ground, silenced, she was already rounding the corner moving on to the next challenge.

With a sigh she glared at the drawn bridge that would take her straight to her goal.

"Really Bryn?" she grumbled.

Looking down to the ground below she checked for any skeevers that might jump out at her. Deciding that the coast was clear she dropped to the ground and waited for something to come round the corner at her. When nothing did she relaxed and checked her surroundings once more. To her left there was a door she hadn't noticed while up on the ledge.

"Now what are the odds of that being unlocked?" She wondered, moving towards it.  
Sure enough the gate was locked. With a grin she pulled out her lock picking kit and got to work. To her frustration, the thing gave her more trouble than she would have expected, but within a couple minutes she was through the door and heading up the secluded stairs. As she got to the top she noticed a man standing at a table in the middle of a room. With the little corpses of skeevers littering the ground around his feet she surmised he at least had the skill to withstand skeevers. With a quiet sigh she snuck up behind him; noticing he was about to turn and notice her she sidestepped around, keeping in his blind spot, spun the rest of the way around him, reaching up the same time as she summoned a dagger and drug the mystical blade across his neck.

Stooping to see if he had been carrying anything worth taking and pocketed his various, semi worthwhile, things.

Finally she faced the door she knew lead her to the Ragged Flagon and took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she'd been down here and she wondered how it had changed. For better or worse, she had missed the place dearly; and she was ready to be home.  
Stepping through the door she immediately heard voices across the water, coming from the only lit part of the little cistern. As she crept closer she could make out Brynolf's voice arguing with who she realized was Delvin and Vekel. All of them going on about a new recruit who might possibly bring lady luck back to smile on them once again.

"Give it up Brynolf, those days are over." She heard Vekel laugh in response to something Delvin had said.

"I'm telling you this one's different." She could hear the slight underlying tone of amusement as Brynolf tried to convince his friends that he had found a worthy new recruit.

With a smile she realized why Brynolf had made her come down to the Flagon the hard way. Though it was a bit of a bother, it would definitely be fun to see their reactions to the "new" recruit. Though she could detect the hint of scam in his voice she knew the others wouldn't be able to. He was far too practiced, and the thing he was hiding was so far out of the expected that none of them would suspect a thing.

She heard a deeper voice reply to Brynolf, "We've all heard that one before, Bryn! Quit kidding yourself." She didn't recognize the voice but it sounded mildly exasperated and more than a little tired. She wondered just how bad off the guild really was to not even believe there was a new recruit.

"It's time to face the truth, old friend." Vekel sighed, "You, Vex, Mercer…You're all part of a dying breed," he shrugged, "things are changing!"

She had come far enough into the flagon to hear the entire conversation, but she'd paused behind a large pillar in order to hear the end of it. Hearing Vekel speak of dying breeds made her decide to step forward. With her hood pulled up over her head to shield her face, she came into view.

Seeing her, Brynolf smirked, "Dying breed, eh? Well what do you call that then!"

As Brynolf walked towards her she couldn't help but grin a little.

"Color me impressed, lass." Brynolf teased, "I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again…." Leaning forward he whispered so that only she could hear, "at least not for another ten years."

She gave him a wry look and whispered back, "you knew I was leaving then and why, I wouldn't disappear with no warning."

As she walked into the Flagon with Brynolf explaining her first job, she caught sight of Delvin sitting at a table to her left. She had come close enough that he decided it was a good time to talk.  
"Lemme guess, Brynolf plucked you off the street and dropped you into the thick o' things without tellin' you which way is up. Am I right?"

She paused in listening to Brynolf and couldn't contain a small chuckle. Turning towards Delvin she nodded, "I suppose I could use some advice."

"See, that kind of attitude comes from someone who wants to get rich and stay alive long enough to enjoy it. We're going to get along nicely. So, if you've got the nerv—" Delvin's words died in his throat as he looked up at the new thief for the first time after she pulled down her hood. She'd kept the thing up all the way until saying she could use some advice so he hadn't been able to see her face until then. Finally looking up at her he nearly fell out of his seat.

"Jack?!"

Unable to keep it in any longer, Jack grinned, "Hey Delvin, it's been a long time."

At the shout of her name from Delvin, all the others in the Flagon had stopped what they were doing and turned to stare. Vekel was motionless, as if frozen solid from seeing the long lost thief.

With a somewhat sad smile she glanced at Vekel, "not dying yet," and she winked at him.

As if snapping him out of his trance he jumped a little and exclaimed, "Jack! When did you get back?!"

Just as she was about to explain she felt someone her size come up behind her. With a smirk she spun around and tackled the small thief, already knowing who it was.

"Ack! Jack, get off of me!" Vex grumped.

As everyone gathered around her to see for themselves that their long lost friend had returned, Jack searched across the crowd to find Brynolf lounging on a bar stool with his back against the bar. Noticing her watching him he grinned and winked. With a wide grin of her own, Jack turned to all the people around her. It was good to be home, and she would have a lot of catching up to do.

Her first assignment to "test whether she still had the skills" was to convince some shop owners to pay up the money they owed the guild. Jack had been rather unhappy to hear that Keerava was one of the people she had to bully into paying. With a sigh she stepped into the Bee and Barb, having decided it would be best to get the hardest one out of the way first. As she walked up to the bar Talen-Jei smiled at her and she felt another pang of guilt course through her.

Bracing herself, she scooted onto a stool in front of Keerava and gave her a stern stare.

For a moment Keerava looked alarmed, but eventually settled into confused, "is something wrong, child?"

Jack sighed, "Yes, unfortunately, something is." She looked up sadly at the older Argonian, "You know my line of work, and you know I'm involved with the guild, both before I left and now; so I'll cut to the chase…."

This time it was Keerava's turn to sigh, "You want me to pay Brynolf the gold I owe him; I've already told him, I can't give him money I don't have!"

With a very sympathetic look Jack nodded, "I know, but I also know that you do have money enough to pay, I know it's hard times, but you aren't the only one going through a tough spot, everyone is, so we all need to hold up our ends of bargains so Riften doesn't fall apart."

Jack wandered back into the Ragged Flagon with a pouch full of coins. After convincing Keerava to pay the other two had been easy. She didn't like Haelga and Bersi was a push over, so neither had given her any trouble. When Brynolf saw her walking towards him he grinned.

"Have I proven my worth?" She asked, smirking and tossing the bag of coins on the table in front of him.

"Aye," Brynolf chucked, "I recon it's time you saw Mercer."

At the mention of Mercer's name, moments from her past flashed before her eyes; a time when she was little and barely a thief at all, still being taught how to survive before being allowed to join her brother's guild. Brynolf noticed the change in her expression and understood immediately. It had been a long time since she left the guild, and though much of the guild members had been around back then, he reckoned only Mercer would remind her of her brother that strongly.

"Sorry," he said gently, "but it has to happen sooner or later."

Mentally shaking herself, Jack looked up at him, forcing the light back into her eyes, "Aye, I'm ready, let's go."

Upon entering the cistern a wash of emotions flooded Jack as she remembered all the memories she had of this place. It truly still felt like home even after all those years.

"Unfortunately, we don't have any open beds at the moment…" Brynolf realized, "so we'll have to figure something out for that."  
Jack laughed, "Don't worry, I've been sleeping on the ground for the better part of ten years; I'll manage."

The continued chuckling together as they approached Mercer, and stopped before his desk.

"Mercer, this is the one I was tellin' you about." Brynolf introduced.

Jack had lowered her head slightly, partially because of the memories Mercer brought back of his best friend, and also because she really wanted to see his reaction when he realized it was her.

"This had better not be another waste of the guild's resources Brynolf." Mercer said dryly.

"Oh come now," Jack interjected, "Ye of little faith." With that she looked up and met Mercer's eyes.

With glee she watched as his eyes went from confusion, to realization, to shock, back to confusion, and then finally settled on disbelief.

"Jack?"

She smirked up at him, "it's been a while, old man. You're getting gray!"

She couldn't control her laughter as he harrumphed her impertinent remark. "Of all the rotten luck, Brynolf's new recruit just had to be you, didn't it?"  
She beamed at him and winked, "But of course! You can't tell me you would have it any other way."

Grumbling to no one in particular, Mercer turned away.

"Oi, Mercer, aren't you forgetting something?" Brynolf reminded him.

"What?" Mercer looked back, "aah yes…"

Jack chuckled and gave him a teasing smirk.

"As Brynolf assures me you'll be an asset to the guild," he began wryly, "you're in. Welcome back to the thieves guild."


End file.
